Washington State State Parks for 3 months Possible?

[Kit2024]

Just wondering if it was possible to bounce around Washington State parks and other free sites for 2-3 months in the summer?
I know there is the discover pass for $30. Looking to bounce around like people do in New Mexico state parks.
Just haven't research enough yet to know if the State has enough free sites.

 

[Gr8ful]

Looks like about 4 months to me. I googled washington state parks camping limits

What is the stay limit in Washington state parks?
maximum length of stay shall be no more than ten nights in one park within a thirty-day period. Total nights stayed not to exceed 120 per calendar year in all state parks.

 

[Kit2024]

Looks like about 4 months to me. I googled washington state parks camping limits

What is the stay limit in Washington state parks?
maximum length of stay shall be no more than ten nights in one park within a thirty-day period. Total nights stayed not to exceed 120 per calendar year in all state parks.

That's great. I only want to be up there for the summer months. Now I just have to map out all the parks and make a plan on the order of my visits.

 

[maki2]

Just wondering if it was possible to bounce around Washington State parks and other free sites for 2-3 months in the summer?
I know there is the discover pass for $30. Looking to bounce around like people do in New Mexico state parks.
Just haven't research enough yet to know if the State has enough free sites.

The stay limits for the Washington Statd parks are explained on their website. There is not one rule for everyone at every park that applies to all times of the year.

If you want to bounce around in WA State for two or three months in the summer it is possible as there is more than one agency that has camping available in the state.

Just remember only you can figure out your travel plans and that it will mean you need to get busy on the internet looking up the camping rules from those various agencies. As far as the State Park Campgrounds in the summer time good luck getting reservations longer than one or two days at a time at any one park in desirable locations, especially anything close to water be it Puget Sound, rivers or lakes. Once in a while you might show up at a park and find a spot that opened up due to a cancellation or one or two stray days between other reservations.

County Fairgrounds in WA state often have some affordable RV and tent sites. The locations can be pretty decent, possibly lower priced than State Park rates.

There are also a lot of County Park Campgrounds in WA State that are more likely to have openings than the State Park System.

But mostly start looking for some dispersed camping that cannot be reserved. The Wa state dispersed forest lands and State Parks, boat launch areas, etc do require that you purchase a Discover Pass. That Discover pass will get you Free day use for beaches and trails and access to toilets and showers, dumpsters too even if that State Park has no open spots to stay in.

Can you tell that I am a WA state resident who likes to go camping

 

[maki2]

That's great. I only want to be up there for the summer months. Now I just have to map out all the parks and make a plan on the order of my visits.

You waited too late if you want to do that this summer. Those parks get reserved quickly as soon as reservations can be made in the New Year. Finding 10 days in a row at a WA State park in the summer months is mission impossible.

 

[vanbrat]

There are a lot of parks in Washington. There are also a lot of campers this time of year. If you can camp without power or full hook-up you can probably find places, but not much available if you start looking Thursday thru Saturday. Most state parks fill up fast and you will need reservations. Often months in advance. Some even if you wait for the day the system takes reservations you will find by the evening the parks are full. Some of the larger parks will have a few for a day or so for more than a day or two in one or two spots. Try also as Maki said the BLM parks, county parks, National parks and some private parks most fairgrounds have RV parks attached but only when nothing is going on. Camping is a big deal in Washington. It is funny on Sunday when people are packing up to leave in some parks there is a lineup of people waiting for the spots that open up in parks with no reservation system (and yep, I have been in that lineup).
Many of our friends have signed up for Thousand Trails and such just to be able to have a place, but now even those fill to capacity on the holiday weeks. I still have not been able to camp at Fort Casey..... which is close to my house on the beach.

 

[maki2]

In the Port Townsend area I used to camp at the Fairgrounds https://jeffcofairgrounds.org/campround/
Then use my Discover Pass which gave me day use access to go spend the day at Fort Worden Park. That allowed me to park next to the beach where there are restrooms, drinking water, shade structures and a decent cell signal too. Also a lovely Lighthouse too. The fairgrounds did not have a useable Verizon signal but I last camped there in the fall of 2020, I do not know if another Verizon tower has been added on that side of town. Port Townsend is a very hilly area so cell signals can be spotty in various locations.

Do go to visit Port Townsend it is a fantastic waterfront town on the National Historic Register. Lots to see and do there. Also a good Farmer’s market. The Wooden Boat Festival is another great event as are the various music and theater arts events at Fort Worden.
But the most fun event in Port Thownsend is the wild and wacky Kinetic Sculpture Race that takes place in early October., It is still good camping weather in early October. https://www.ptkineticrace.org/

 

[Kit2024]

You waited too late if you want to do that this summer. Those parks get reserved quickly as soon as reservations can be made in the New Year. Finding 10 days in a row at a WA State park in the summer months is mission impossible.

Welp...Not hitting the road til next year but looks I'll have to plan way ahead and look for more dispersed camping spots to park.

 

[vanbrat]

Do go to visit Port Townsend it is a fantastic waterfront town on the National Historic Register. Lots to see and do there. Also a good Farmer’s market. The Wooden Boat Festival is another great event as are the various music and theater arts events at Fort Worden.
But the most fun event in Port Thownsend is the wild and wacky Kinetic Sculpture Race that takes place in early October., It is still good camping weather in early October. https://www.ptkineticrace.org/

For the Pink Floyd lovers there is a really good cover band called Pigs on the Wings playing in Port Townsend this summer and the sprint boat races are a blast to watch.

 

[bebewanna]

Remember one thing.... I left WA for NM, 2 years ago and was for 11 years resident inside Olympic National Forest.

I camped for 11 months in exactly the same spot... Most State Land is DNR forest land and they allow.. As Told to me by the DNR Cop who finally found me.. There is no dispersed camping on DNR land.

I was lucky for one year no State officials came down the dead end forest road, it was a great year, in a perfect spot ... Finally a forester saw me and called the cops. That was my 2nd meeting with the cop who was a nice guy.... Pulled up said.. Hello Mr Phillips lol...

Finding camping spots in WA in the summer should be a fun experience, because it's a zoo..

1 did after that, before I left for NM stay on Olympic National Forest land about a month with no harassment at all.... But it was April and pretty quiet still

Olympic National Forest is tremendous and the Federal Cops don't drive all over, only on main roads and you can move around inside there and move camping spots and never be seen dispersed if you can't find regular campground spots.

Lake Cushman has a Nat Forest Campground... Big Springs, that is not as crowded on weekdays....

In Grayland in Pacific County there is one right on the beach.... I think State, it's really nice there..

1 love NM but difficulty finding places to park in WA with no harassment and knowing summer was a few months ahead is why I left.... "HOMELESS" in WA is a problem, period, too much bad presd

 

[maki2]

It is the last few years it has become much more difficult to remain hidden when trying to stealth camp in locations in forested areas. The reason for that is the agencies are using technology instead of just sending out more rangers in vehicles. They are using drones and small planes with heat sensors to see activity that is unusual. It is not as much about trying to find people camping as it is to do early detection of wild fires. Although they do use it in searches for lost wilderness hikers. The forest service agencies definitely would like to keep human caused fires such as campfires out of remote areas.

The next thing that is just starting to be implemented is doing that kind of wild fire prevention imaging using satellites to monitor forest lands on much closer grid scale imaging. It used to be mostly the military using that due to the cost of equipment and personnel but that is shifting now into wider access with universities participating in educational projects such as early detection wild fire spotting, early enough to see a thermal image from a camp!site fire ring. As I spend my summertime months in forested areas where there are wildfires every summer season I see a lot of the discussions about the new wild fire reduction efforts with eyes in the sky technology on the local area news.